'Money is more important than real justice here'

The court handed down a verdict of four years in jail for Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Ba'asyir on Tuesday after the panel of judges found him guilty of subversion, document counterfeiting and immigration violations. The court claimed that there was not enough evidence presented to prove that Ba'asyir was the leader of Jamaah Islamiyah, the regional terrorist network on the United Nation's list of banned terror groups. The Jakarta Post talked to some people about the issue.

Dradjad, 31, is an employee with a non-governmental organization in Central Jakarta. He lives in Rawamangun, East Jakarta, with his wife and daughter:

The trial was an obvious example of how our court system has deteriorated.

We have seen how terrorist suspects in the Bali bombing trials have humiliated the court with their ranting. They seem to have a total disrespect of the judges, although they are facing death sentences.

I think the Ba'asyir trial is similar. The judges were too lenient.

As long as the law enforcers are still afraid of the defendant's supporters, law enforcement will always remain poor.

The Ba'asyir trial was a real test case of how the government is just not serious about responding to terrorism threats here.

Ba'asyir should have been charged and investigated on his alleged terrorist involvement. He has been on the criminal wanted list since former president Soeharto's regime.

It doesn't make sense that the prosecutors and judges could not find him guilty because of lack of evidence. They were just not serious in handling the case.

Opi, not her real name, 29, is an employee with a private company in South Jakarta. She lives in Tangerang with her family:

I'm always fearful about commenting on law enforcement in this country. That includes the recent Ba'asyir case.

I believe that both the lawyers and judges were bribed during the trial. It is possible that the defendant's lawyers asked for lenient punishment for their client, in return for a certain compensation.

Besides, the prosecutors performed poorly in investigating the case and presenting hard evidence on him. I am upset that they could not find enough evidence to prove the allegations.

Yudi, 32, is a musician performing in several cafes and entertainment venues in Jakarta. He lives in Kemanggisan, West Jakarta:

I keep wondering why the court failed to prove the charges against Ba'asyir. The court only punished him for the secondary charges.

He was only sentenced to four years in jail. It's far more lenient compared to the prosecutors' demand of 15 years imprisonment.

I don't know if Ba'asyir is a real terrorist. Our law enforcers would have had a strong witness if the other terror suspect (Hambali) who was arrested recently and is now in U.S. custody could have revealed some important evidence about him.

In general, our law enforcers still lack principle and professionalism. Money is more important than real justice or the law of the land.

I think it's useless for me to worry about something I can't change or even to comment on the case as it involves political interests as well.

The most important thing for most of us now is just to try to earn enough to make a living and survive. That's all.

-- Leo Wahyudi S.